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US 2001/0032831 A1Published application
Laser marking system and method
OwnerDavid Benderlyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Diamonds are marked by a laser beam having a characteristic that is changeable by positioning a selected aperture in the beam within a resonant cavity of a laser source. Guidelines are positioned in advance on the diamonds, and the marking is subsequently performed between the guidelines.
Claims19
An intra-cavity controller for changing a characteristic of a laser beam, comprising:
- a) a housing bounding a resonant cavity and having an output port through which the laser beam exits the housing;
- and
- b) an apertured element supported by the housing for movement in the cavity, the element having a plurality of apertures of different sizes and being movable to position a selected one of the apertures in a path of the laser beam within the housing.
An arrangement for marking gemstones, comprising:
- a) a fixture for holding a gemstone to be marked;
- b) a source for generating and directing a laser beam toward the gemstone, the source including a housing bounding a resonant cavity and having an output port through which the laser beam exits the housing;
- and
- c) an intra-cavity controller for changing a characteristic of the laser beam, including an apertured element supported by the housing for movement in the cavity, the element having a plurality of apertures of different sizes and being movable to position a selected one of the apertures in a path of the laser beam within the housing.
1 more element
An arrangement for marking gemstones, comprising:
- a) a fixture for holding a gemstone to be marked;
- b) a line generator for generating a pair of spaced-apart, visible guidelines on the gemstone;
- c) a source for generating and directing a laser beam toward the gemstone;
- and
- d) a pattern controller for conducting relative movement between the laser beam and the gemstone to mark the gemstone between the guidelines.
2 more elements
A method of marking gemstones, comprising the steps of:
- a) holding a gemstone to be marked;
- b) generating and directing toward the gemstone a laser beam through an output port of a housing having a resonant cavity;
- and
- c) changing a characteristic of the laser beam by selectively positioning one of a plurality of apertures of different sizes in a path of the laser beam within the cavity.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.